David Farnor | On 10, Apr 2014

The BBC has commissioned a string of short films exclusively for BBC iPlayer for its World War One Season.

WW1 UNCUT consists of 12 episodes, which will launch today (10th April) and continute through spring 2014.

Produced by Ballista Media, WW1 UNCUT will explore a variety of defining World War One features, from the trenches and a soldier’s kit to war myths and weapon testing. The shorts aim to “explain war topics in an educational yet entertaining way”, giving the content a fresh and current feel.

Historian and broadcaster Dan Snow will be the collection’s lead presenter, with other presenters including Michael Douglas (The One Show), Dr Saleyha Ashan (Trust Me I’m A Doctor) and Sam Willis (Nelson’s Caribbean Hell-Hole).

Snow comments: “I was really excited about the opportunity to create content without the restrictions of a linear schedule; producing this for BBC iPlayer let us tell these war stories in a short, snappy and fun manner. From a production point of view, it made us take a new approach to content making and gave us the chance to bring history programming to a new audience. We had a great time during filming; we’re really pleased with how the shorts turned out and hope the audience, both young and old, will like the collection as much as we do.”

Tim Plyming, Executive Producer, BBC Knowledge & Learning, adds: “Our digital coverage plays an integral part in the WW1 Season and we’re really excited about having produced this collection specifically for BBC iPlayer. It enabled us to take a new and creative approach to storytelling, and the content has an exciting and contemporary feel whilst dealing with more seriously toned topics. BBC iPlayer feels like the perfect home for these films and we can’t wait to share it with our audiences – wherever they are, whenever they want to watch it.”

The first three episodes will be Trenches & Barbed Wire, A Soldier’s Kit and Breaking Deadlock.

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